


Burning, But Not In That Sense

by Michevalier



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS
Genre: Day 12, Entrustshipping, F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, I've got a chance to write about them too yaaaay, Long-Distance Relationship, Mild Angst, Sickfic, Takekiku, Vrains Rare Pair Week 2018
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-03
Updated: 2019-01-03
Packaged: 2019-10-03 16:17:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,113
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17287355
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Michevalier/pseuds/Michevalier
Summary: Takeru was worried when Kiku didn't call him as usual.





	Burning, But Not In That Sense

**Author's Note:**

> I hate being sick and missing on fun stuff :'c

Takeru kept glancing, but his phone as if were mocking him by remaining as cruelly silent as it was for awhile.

Or, rather, there was no sign of vitality from the one number Takeru waited to hear from the most.

"Come on," Flame urged him to calm down as he was already a bit tired of watching the boy walking to and fro in his room; to and fro, to and fro akin to a living pendulum. "There's no need to get so worked up. She'll call eventually."

"Eventually, eventually," anxiety was already sparking in Takeru's voice. "When if I may ask? Four more days?"

He was serious about this time span.

Before Takeru left the town he used to live in with his grandparents he and Kiku agreed to call each other every Friday. They would talk about how their families were doing, school, more miscellaneous stuff. They would stay up ridiculously late or at least until Takeru would hear Kiku's mom in background complain about their "midnight chatter". But, nevertheless, he and Kiku greatly enjoyed this time... the only time when they could communicate at least somehow, hear each other's voices, laugh together. Yeah, everything they were unable to do every day anymore.

Kiku's calls were like gulps of fresh air to Takeru in his current, full of risks life, the tiny harbor which gave him the sense of familiar tranquility. Besides... whenever he heard Kiku's soft voice his heart was pounding stronger and he felt like burning in some sort of a pleasant fire. He became kinda addicted to this feeling and not having it satisfied tonight was causing him a real withdrawal, painful and agonizing.

"Is she that mad at me forgetting to call her that one time?" utterly confused, Takeru scratched his head.

Yes, that one time when he was logged in Link VRAINS with Playmaker. But it was really important, they were looking for any traces of Lightning and his group. Anyway, Takeru did call Kiku the next day and she assured him she wasn't angry at his "being too busy".

But now that her silence had been lasting for four whole days Takeru wasn't so sure about her lack of offensive feelings.

"Sorry, I cannot give you 100% accurate answer," Fire Ignis crossed his arms and shook his head. "I can just suggest you to sit down, take a deep breath and..."

Suddenly, Takeru gasped, tripped and almost fell down when his phone "jumped" on his bed.

_Buuuzzzzzzzz!_

"Chill there," Flame mockingly suggested, watching his Origin clumsily trying to grab the device with his shaky hands.

"I know!" Takeru barked and, having accepted the incoming, coughed to sound as adequate as possible. "Hello?"

"Hello? Takeru?"

"Hey there," the boy wasn't sure should he feel happy or angry at the sound of Kiku's voice, but in the end he chose to stick with the former option.

"Sorry I wasn't in touch these days," Kiku, as if had read his thoughts, apologized.

"Not a big deal," Takeru lied, he _was_ worried after all. "You must have been busy."

"Busy..." the girl coughed. "Right."

"How are you doing?"

"Pretty much fine," she laughed, but somehow her usual laugh sounded a bit off-key... which Takeru failed to notice at first.

They were talking about everything. Takeru left out, of course, the most _exciting_ details of his "heroism" in Link VRAINS and such, sharing instead his impressions about school, hot dogs and hanging out with his new friend Yusaku.

"So when he gave me that hot dog it ended up being half-cooked, so I..." the boy paused, finding Kiku's prolonging silence a bit weird, considering that she would usually ask him something instead of having him tell everything on his own. "Are you okay?"

"Hm?" she sneezed. "Y-yes. I'm just..."

"Just what?"

"I..." Kiku's tone grew quite weird. "I'm somewhat burning here."

"Eh?" Takeru's eyes grew as big as saucers; now that was the last thing he expected to hear.

Was there anything _hot_ in his babbling?

"Sorry, Takeru," Kiku coughed again. "It's..."

"Um, Kiku?" the boy got confused when he suddenly heard unfamiliar female voice urging her to put away the phone and go back to sleep. "Aren't you at home? Who was that?"

"One minute, please!" Kiku begged that someone and then talked to Takeru again. "Hehe..." she coughed yet again. "Sorry, that was a nurse."

"N-nurse?" Takeru's heart sank. "What do you mean?"

"Sorry..." Kiku said quietly. "I haven't been able to talk to you all these days because... I was hospitalised. My stupid fever and flu turned out to be kinda more serious than me and my parents hoped."

"Fever and flu?!" Takeru's face got deprived of all paint at once, ending up deadly white. "And hospitalised? Is everything that serious?"

The boy looked at Flame (Fire Ignis glanced back at him with questionable expression) and honestly that he denied his offer of installing those huge-ass wheels on his Duel Disk — had he done that, he would have been to abandon everything and go to Kiku right away.

"I didn't want to worry you..." the girl said in a husky voice. "You should concentrate on your own studies and leisure."

"Kiku..." guilt kept crushing Takeru's chest.

He was here, so freaking "busy" while she was there so frail and alone... Unforgivable!

"Don't blame yourself," Kiku as if had read his mind, as usual, and somehow Takeru was able to feel her big smile full of light without even seeing it. "Do what you must and don't worry about me. Just sometimes hearing your voice is enough for me."

"I..." all of a sudden Takeru felt like some huge, unknown feeling began tearing out of his chest along with his pounding heart, his face heated up quite a lot.

"Thank you for calling," but the time was cut short as the nurse in background was getting impatient. "I can't wait when we can talk again. Untill then I'll do my best to get better!"

"Please do..." Takeru whispered softly.

"I sure will," Kiku giggled. "Alright then. Hear you later!"

She hung up, leaving the boy all alone with the feeling of a crushing helplessness within his ribcage.

"Takeru?" Flame carefully asked, noticing how absent-minded his partner seemed.

And that was true; no matter what Takeru's excuses for staying in Den City were, but relationships on distance, especially when the girl who was a bit more than a friend to him was sick, this inability to reach out and touch her cheek... lean in and kiss her forehead.

_It sucked._

And Takeru could only whine, biting onto his lip to blood and punching against the nearest wall.

_Totally sucked._


End file.
